If you want to be among the top 1% of programmers, you have to follow what the 1% of programmers do and understand what the other 99% don't do. In modern times, we have various learning platforms filled with videos, graphics, and other materials related to programming.
For example, as a beginner in programming, I went looking for roadmaps and guidance. More than hundreds of videos pop up with wildly different ideas and messages, sometimes even in opposition to each other. Then, I continue to trust the one with the most views and subscribers. As a result, this particular video with a decent number of views became the most viewed video, and obviously if others also searched for Programming Roadmap, this video would appear at the top of all video lists.
As a result, we all followed a specific roadmap and guidance, and I ended up being an average programmer, no different from other programmers - one of the 99% of programmers - whose resumes are always the same, because there are quite a few Many programmers have the same background.
As programmers, a common advice we receive is to watch video tutorials, take online courses, and add LeetCode on top of that to get our dream job. This is exactly what 99% of programmers do.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that those who follow this advice will end up being losers, nor am I completely dismissing the usefulness of watching video tutorials, taking online courses, and doing LeetCode. But on the contrary, by following these suggestions, you will only become an average programmer, and no matter how hard you try, you will still be an average programmer.
A large amount of homogeneous knowledge will reduce the value of this knowledge.
To be free from 99% of programmers, you need to be different, which requires a completely different way of thinking than other programmers. When you find out what 1% of programmers are doing, you know the difference. Let’s dig into four things that only 1% of programmers do…
1. Embrace debugging
Most people think that programmers spend most of their time writing code, but in fact, they spend 80 to 90 percent of their time reading code rather than writing it.
For programmers, this is one of the most overwhelming parts of programming and most of them give up on it. But the secret is that debugging code is the only part of programming that can help you program and turn yourself into a programmer.
Artist: Eric Burke
You are not called a programmer until you have the ability to debug and solve problems in your code.
2. Quality over quantity
When I was new to programming, I thought a great programmer was the one with the most projects in their GitHub profile.
My goal was to watch the longest video tutorial on YouTube and build as many projects as possible to get ahead of other developers, but then, I realized that the top 1% prioritize quality over quantity.
Instead of wasting valuable time building numerous projects, they apply all their skills and knowledge to build and focus on one important project with extraordinary functionality.
The truth is often that people with just one big project on their resume will outperform people with a bunch of basic projects on their resume.
3. Read the code
I remember my first days as a novice programmer. I thought programmers were born to write code and build awesome things.
I wish I had known this in my first days of programming - you become a professional programmer when you read code written by experienced programmers.
Every day, spend some time reading code on GitHub instead of writing code. This principle can also be applied to our default way of reading books to get ideas and then start writing.
You can't be a writer until you read. As Anne Proulx said: Writing comes from reading, and reading is the best teacher of writing.
If you are a beginner, it may cause some confusion at first, but when you start following this, by reading the codes written by other professional programmers, you will find that the way you are coding is very bad.
4. Contribution
You won't be considered one of the top 1% until you contribute to other people's projects.
As an exceptional programmer, you need to gain experience working and collaborating with others. Finding a team can be challenging, but luckily when it comes to programming, you can contribute on any open source project you want.
"There are no open source projects to contribute to", as a programmer, you might answer.
There are billions of open source projects on GitHub, and their owners warmly welcome any kind of contribution to their projects.
If you really want to stay ahead of 99% of programmers, keep your head up and explore GitHub instead of blindly browsing social media hoping to find something useful there. Remember: your time matters. How you allocate your time is the starting point of the difference between 99% and 1%.